SeanMacGabhann

agreed jimmy, and I will miss the old incarnation However? I don't know sweetshopdan that well, just spoke briefly once or twice in the EDT and he has a lot of ambition and work in him. and I'm very interested in the future of this place Dan - any gutrocking news?

good point *bob* which reminds me - I'm never shaving my hair again

I'm never dying my hair (again)

sorry Marmora - I meant to address your point before I finished posting TO answer your question - in sort, no Art isn't SO special it deserves ringfencing compared to other needs In slightly longer answer, I would say "depends". But on too many factors. Things like film funding I'm pretty sure we can do without. Museum and library opening hours and funding - arguably could be invested in a "spend to save" fashion. More people inspired by art, less low level crime or whatever

Blimey, and I still remember when quids was ?? and us old timers used to say the same thing, and then he'd scamper in and tell us off... ah happy days As for supermarket queues, i just assume *Bob* is behind me at all times anyway - keeps me behaved it does Interesting thread tho. I would say I can see where Piers is cominf from totally but that would leave me open to accusations of...etc etc

I've been looking at posters for that for a week Mick and keep meaning to post something - but then the moment passes. Glad you spotted it tho... makes me think of you every single time

I would also take issue with Art being a luxury A safe, healthy life with nothing to engage the mind is a life not worth living. It MIGHT be the limit of aspiration for, say, a woodland creature 80 years on the planet with no art? Or 50 years on the planet with the wealth of music, painting, poetry, literature at our fingertips - is it really that hard to answer

Well if THAT were true 'elf n safety wouldn't have such a bad name now would they?

Some people find it harrowing but I too find it ultimately uplifting For me the biggest emotional impact came from the book challenging the reader on seemingly every page to question how they choose good over bad - and how, rather than wait until the kind of environment we read about in the book, we should be making those choices more conciously in our current situation But yeah, like quids, I didn't rush to read it the day after! the film makes as good a film as can be possibly made from the material btw - but it can't match the book

I'm not sure where I stand on grammar v comprehensive schooling per se as I was raised in another country but having lived here for over 20 years, I do wonder if the debate always has to be defined by those options. Not every country is struggling with this choice, so maybe we could look to them? And whilst quids points to arguments made against comprehensives before their introduction, the subsequent outcome (eg less social mobility) is't necessarily a direct consequence is it? Surely the wider changes in society from the 70s onward, including the widening of the gap between rich and poor is as pertinent?

I'm feeling all warm inside after that hlb gor bless ya

yep - with quids all the way. Haiti = massively important and dealt with in my own way and time. A sponsored swim thread = good work to same end but unlikely to solicit mass interest on a keyboard-led forum. But fair play etc

oh dear god - "chemists" and "newsagents" and their endless cross-selling is a good one. No Mr WH Smith not only did I not want half a kilo of chocolate with my paper, but I don't want you slipping fekkin flyers for Dominoes and god knows what else in there either - stop it!!! And why do all WH Smith shops now look like Woolworths on the last day before closing - tat central - get a grip Mr Smith!

Serious topics can exist in the lounge btw. The drawing room was created for people who wanted to start a topic without the desire to have every other post be some flippant, crude remark. I think Mick mac prefers the lounge because if the volume if traffic. It's up to him where this thread sits Brendan is passionate about this and fair play to him. But instinctively I'm with Mick on this (at a broad level anyway) however much at war or aggrieved one party is, does killing and maiming innocent people ever have enough reason. Not that that question should be limited to Mandela, Adams or mcguinnes obviously. But how these events and stories are consumed and through what filters largely dictates our acceptance of them

rare excursion into photo territory for me, but in light of Alex McQueen's death today, some pics of Bowie wearing his clobber http://www.mediadecay.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bowie1997.jpg http://lh4.ggpht.com/newmp3locker/SPj7oaeqNxI/AAAAAAAAHZs/tNrgVWqx6tc/Earthling_(album)_thumb.jpg

Ashley Cole out for 3 months Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear

I think the real clue is in the time and number of posts from Mick ;-)

Yeah because it was a genuine free kick before tht mathew. Not to mention the bentdner penalty. We were shaky at times but 1 0 us is about right

Chrome is a browser. Ie the software you use to look at websites like google, which is a search engine Alternatives to chrome are Internet explorer, firefox, safari and opera Alternatives to google are yahoo and bing

No, I wouldn't agree it's going through the motions. There is enough talent on the Arsenal side and enough weaknesses on the other sides to make it POSSIBLE. Just very hard That's the challenge and is hardly going through the motions As for having players with bite and bottle - we definitely need more of that but when we had it, we were, as you allude to, much less "popular" - I can't get upset with any player giving Van N a go tho.. I actually thought at the start of this season we showed a lot more bottle - we were first into challenges and didn't shirk from the physical side. But we have lost some of that. I think we are suffering a combination of 1) every team has a slump during a season. usually 2) a particularly hard string of games. Boo hoo I know, but it coincides with #1 3) lack of winning experience None of those things are fatal but #3 could be the worst and we could collapse as the season goes on.

But it is an interesting mirror of the wider economy before it went tits up. The warning signs are there and the one or two voices of caution are castigated for lacking ambition If the papers or fans take Wenger to task about not getting the best out of the team he has assembled, that seems fair enough But the constant cry to buy buy buy? it just seems a bit detached from reality

Is it really a counter-argument tho? Isn't it more of a supporting argument? Wenger is hands on but I imagine he leaves the money stuff well alone, other than demanding to know, bottom line, how much he has available The thought of losing to the third rival in a row tonight doesn't bear thinking about, but on balance, he is doing the right thing. There IS another question about is he getting the most out of who he has, but that's different from the consensus which is "Wenger should have bought X Y and/or Z". We aren't broke but we don't want to spend stupid money on the one or two big names who could make a difference and come to England - so the two clubs above us have either massive resources or have massively overspent. I really am ok with that you know?

It is a bit odd that there is much head-shaking about clubs going into admin (or close) to at exactly the same time that Wenger is under pressure to spend (probably) more money than he has available A weaker man than Wenger could easily take us down the road of a Leeds

If There is Something by Roxy Music I know they are rated by I Ijust don't like them. I like more than one track mind you? but overall they annoy. But this one is awesome

My comparison is not with the relative constitutions (solid point tho that is) but in the protracted, long and very very difficult creation of the United States. They did not read the simple declaration and go "ooh nice one" - most states fought it every step of the way, with "the man in Washington" being the "political elites" you mention here If the electorate has a better idea on how to prevent another pan-European war AND face the 21st century, I'd like to hear it